The Next Generation
by InvisibleInk
Summary: This is the follow on from saving the world follow the lives of Ginny, Ron and Harry's children. To understand why Hermione is absent from this fic read SAVING THE WORLD.
1. The Night Before

A.N : Obviously I don't own anything apart from my own characters. This is the follow on from saving the world read that to understand this. It's the story of the next generation.  
  
The Night Before  
  
Hermione Potter lay on her bed flicking through Hogwarts a history. She was waiting for her Dad to come and say goodnight to her, her mum was working late at the hospital St Mungo's. She was lying their with an excitement reserved only for those who were still young enough to feel excited about birthdays but we're pretending to be so grown up that they refused to give any outward sign to show that this was the case. Hermione Potter was about to be eleven. Now to those in the muggle world eleven was not a very significant age not like being eighteen or twenty one but in the magical world being eleven meant one thing: Magic school. To be precise her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. She had been to Hogwarts once before that she could not even remember when she was very little. However one of her Godfathers was Albus Dumbledore the headmaster at Hogwarts one of the most respected wizards in the whole world.  
"Knock Knock" Hermione looked up into the green eyes of her father. Her own were blue after her mum but she had the dark hair of both her parents. Hermione shut the book as her Dad sat on the bed next to her. He pulled up the quilt so she could snuggle down into it. He wrapped it tightly around her. "You tired?"  
She yawned but shook her head valiantly. "Dad what is Hogwarts like?" He chuckled and told her again, picking up the book he shook his head "you know all you can, my best friend used to always say that Uncle Ron and I should read it."  
"Did you?" He laughed and shook his head. "Hermione was clever wasn't she?" Her Dad got the look in his eye that he did whenever Hermione Granger was mentioned as if he was remembering something so very far away.  
"The cleverest witch in the world" he replied.  
"I want to be as clever as she was" Hermione said determinedly. He kissed her on her forehead.  
"Just be you that's all everyone wants, you're special because you're you" He hugged her tightly "night night angel."  
He walked towards the door and turned off the light leaving the door ajar so the light from the landing would drift into the room. For all her pretence Harry knew his daughter was scared of the dark. Not wanting her to have to admit it because she felt embarrassed he left the door open for her. As he walked past the two other bedrooms he looked in on the twins and on his other sleeping daughter who was only four. He padded into her room and sat watching her sleep just like he had with the twins and Hermione when they had been younger. India lay there sleeping soundly clutching her teddy under her arm; he silently wondered what she was dreaming about. He could not believe it had been nearly eleven years to the day when he had taken little Hermione to the graveside of the person she had been named after. In two months on the 1st of September she would board the train to Hogwarts and it would be the beginning of her time at the school that had shaped Harry. There was of course no more Voldemort but it was not so quiet anymore, everyone had thought that after he had been destroyed that everything would be okay, but for years after the resistance of the remaining death eaters had plagued the world. Harry had become an auror and had fought once again the forces of Voldemort. They had gotten them alive if possible no one wanted more blood on their hands and they were tried and sentenced. Some were acquitted not enough evidence and once again the world forgot happy to believe that it was over. Those who had been accused skulked back into their lives and once again presented a respectable face to the world. And Harry? Well Harry had bought a house for his wife and daughter, given up the life of an auror and accepted a teaching post at Hogwarts as the DADA teacher. His wife Persephone had become a healer and they had raised a family, two girls and two boys. They were still raising their family and at thirty-one he was happy. His family were safe and those who loved them surrounded his children. Ron was married happily to Luna and Paris and Ginny were happy together. Ron had never quite gotten over loosing Hermione but he was happy. They had a little boy about Hermione's age he too would be going to Hogwarts this year as would Ginny's two, the twin's Ishmael and Isabella. How strange will it be to watch the next generation go through exactly what they all had, yet it would be without Voldemort thank Merlin. But it was not so quiet now... he often wondered if there was another power gathering strength, he had heard rumours, those who weren't so paranoid or scarred wouldn't recognise them for what they are... he would speak with Dumbledore tomorrow at the party.

"Hey you" a voice whispered in his ear. He turned around to see his wife Persephone, who was half bathed in light. He could was always struck by just how beautiful she was. Her black hair that had probably been pulled back tightly during the course of the day fell lightly on her shoulders, and her blue eyes were tired but her lip had the same playful smile it always did. She kissed him softly "you okay?" she asked worried.

"Fine" he replied "just thinking about Hermione going to Hogwarts this year."

Persephone smiled "is someone feeling old?" she chuckled softly. He laughed with her.

"If I am then my worries are just those of an old man nothing to be thought of." She looked at him now tracing his face with her hand. She looked into those eyes that she loved, those eyes that she had seen haunted, tired, and torn, happy, ecstatic, and full of love and laughter.

"He's gone, its over" she spoke softly so she didn't wake India but full of conviction. "They won't have to live though that."

"But there are things happening Seph, things that will seem of little importance but I know I can feel it within myself that they are only stepping stones in creating something stronger, darker and evil." He looked away from her "It's not over with those who followed him, they will rise again, and I know they will."

She kissed him softly. "Come on old man lets go to bed." She winked at him, he stood up and with one last look at his sleeping daughter he swept his wife up into his arms and kissed her softly carrying her into their bedroom.


	2. The Birthday Party

The Birthday Party  
  
"Happy Birthday!" Cried Persephone as Hermione padded into the kitchen that morning. Hermione giggled and looked at her mum who held her arms open for Hermione to get into them. Persephone hugged her daughter.  
"Hey did someone say the birthday girl was in here?" Harry put his head around the door. Hermione looked at him and smiled "Hey Dad".  
"Hey my birthday girl!" he picked her up and hugged her tightly.  
"Okay Dad! Put me down now I'm not two!" Harry laughed and placed his daughter on the floor "Your not too old to be hugged by your Dad are you?"  
She crinkled her nose but shook her head. "Mione, mione" cried a little voice who had just entered the room on her brother's back. There in the doorway stood the two seven-year-old twins, Sirius and Cole and on Sirius's back the little face of India peered over her brother's shoulders. "Hey baby girl," Hermione said holding her arms out to take her from Sirius.  
"Happy birthday Mione" India said smiling, "I made you a card, go see, go see!" Hermione giggled and nodded her head padding through to the living room. There she was met with a banner, which read "Happy Birthday Hermione" and a collection of presents. She smiled with delight.  
Putting India on the floor India walked to where her card was and thrust it into Hermione's hand. "Wow this is really good did you make this all by yourself?"  
India nodded proudly. Hermione whispered in her ear "I can tell it's going to be my favourite!" India giggled and clapped her hands proudly.  
"Hermione open the presents... come on... I want breakfast!" Cole and Sirius said together and simultaneously glared at each other for "copying".  
  
Harry put his arm around Persephone's shoulders squeezing them gently. Hermione opened present after present. Until she reached the last one gently unwrapping it she took out a wand. She stared at it in awe "Can I?" she looked excitedly towards Harry. "Can I Dad?"  
He nodded coming towards his daughter. He showed her how to hold it and instructed her how to pronounce the charm "Wingardium Leveosa and swish and flick." She nodded and she attempted to make one of her cards float. On the third attempt she managed it and grinning broadly at her Dad she said, "that was so cool! But I thought I would get to go to Diagon Alley to get my wand?"  
Harry looked at her "I thought this wand would take to you. It's Hermione's old wand, it was used in the final battle with Lord Voldemort, I bet none of the other kid's will have one with quite a tale attached to it!"  
"I thought wands only had one owner?" Hermione enquired.  
"So did I but I guess this is the exception, do you like it?"  
Hermione nodded enthusiastically "It's the best wand I could ever have gotten." Harry smiled glad that it was the case.  
"Oh and before I forget" Persephone said reaching behind her back to produce a letter "this came this morning". Hermione ran to her mum to open the letter, "Look Dad, look! I'm going to Hogwarts, I'm really going," She told him. Harry nodded his head. "Yes, yes you are I hope I won't cramp your style too much!" Hermione giggled and hugged her Dad. "You couldn't you're the best dad in the world" Harry laughed n ruffled her hair. "You missy are too good at sweet talking your old man!"  
"Can we have breakfast now mum?" The green eyes of Cole asked. She laughed, "Come on then!"  
  
"Hello" came a voice that afternoon. Hermione sprang up and raced to the door where she knew her Uncle Ron would be standing. "Uncle Ron!" she said excitedly and jumped into his arms for a hug.  
"How is my niece this afternoon?" He put her down and circled her, she rolled her eyes, this was a yearly tradition and she knew what was coming next "you look older today, any idea why?"  
"Well it is my birthday could that be it?" she played along.  
"Is it really? Well that's what these will be for then!" From behind his back he produced a bag full of presents. "For my gorgeous niece and Goddaughter!"  
She laughed and behind her she was completely taken off guard when Oliver wrapped his arms around her middle "How is my girl today?"  
She turned around "Eleven" she replied smartly stepping away from him.  
He stuck his tongue out at her "obviously" they stood looking at each other and then couldn't help but laugh "Happy Birthday Mione" Oliver said. He swept her up in a hug. As they had practically been best friends all their lives this wasn't unusual but every time they were together her Mum and Ron would share a secret smile as if they knew a secret they didn't. For them they were now both eleven and were eagerly waiting for their first year at Hogwarts.  
Aunty Luna entered with the baby Lily. "Happy birthday dear" she addressed Hermione serenely kissing her forehead. Hermione smiled at her Godmother, Luna and Ron weren't really her Aunt and Uncle they were old school friends of her Dad who had fought in the DA and against Voldemort. Yet from the day she was born she had been part of this makeshift family, and both Luna and Ron were her godparents along with Ginny and Dumbledore. Oliver was her best friend he had been born just two months before her when Ron had been twenty. Uncle Ron looked at her sometimes especially when she was reading as though he was remembering a completely different lifetime and she knew he was. Uncle Ron always tells her how much like Hermione she is, the love of his life. A lot of the time she knew she was the person that kept Hermione alive for both her Uncle and her own Dad, even though they both had their own lives they missed her deeply. Oliver who touched her arm gently "you going to open your presents then?" snapped her out of her thoughts. She laughed and nodded.  
Harry came out of the kitchen "I thought I heard trouble" he said addressing Oliver who he hugged. "Hey Ron my old pal" he shook Ron's hand and was pulled into a hug. He kissed Luna gently on the cheek. Persephone and the others soon came out on the landing to say hello and fuss over baby Lilly.  
"You wouldn't think it was my birthday would you?" Hermione said half jokingly half not.  
Oliver chuckled "you're a grown up now you don't get to sulk remember?"  
"I'm not sulking I'm simply observing" she looked at him smiling now.  
"Ahh of course how could I not have gotten that?" He gently asked her.  
She shrugged her shoulders "cause you're a loser" she joked.  
"So are you loser" he shot back smiling.  
  
The last of the partygoers arrived about an hour later and strolled into the room. Her Aunty Ginny and Uncle Paris who really were her Aunt and Uncle came with their twins Isabella and Ishmael. Dumbledore, Remus, Alastair, Tonks and Mr and Mrs Weasley Molly and Arthur, the twins Fred and George and Neville apparated in soon afterwards. The Lestrange twins were the same age as Oliver and Hermione and the four of them had been thick as thieves since they could talk. "Hey birthday girl" Ishmael greeted her and Isabella hugged her. Again the same ritual took place as Hermione got more gifts and then they ate and danced and sung happy birthday. At nine o'clock everyone was tired Lilly had fallen asleep in India's room about two hours ago and India had soon followed. The Potter twins had drifted off about an hour ago and the adults had gone out to the garden while the remaining four children talked about the upcoming year and the trip to Hogwarts.  
  
"Albus could I have a word?" Harry asked his old headmaster "This hardly seems the place to discuss such things but I'm worried."  
Dumbledore stood listening calmly to a string of disappearances and strange occurrences. He finally nodded and turned towards him "such things have not gone unnoticed Harry, believe me, you and I Harry are a dying breed, I am a very old man and soon I will have to leave Hogwarts to go into retirement, I wish to recommend you as our new headmaster and Ron as the replacement DADA teacher. At least then there will be a few of the old crowd left who remember what happened, of course I'll keep in touch but I'm not the wizard I once was, I've carried my fight and on most occasions I have won. But enough, you were right this is not the place but I must say I am relieved that someone else has noticed I was starting to think they were just the delusions of an old man who is rather unsuited for this life." He chuckled softly.  
"I would be honoured but not so sure I could successfully fill your place Albus for all my life I have known Hogwarts to only been governed by one man, the greatest wizard in the world, that is not vain praise simply the truth, simply the truth." He looked at Albus Dumbledore the man who had supported him when the world refused to believe him, the father whose mistakes still haunt him because of the fall of Sirius, the fall of countless others and of course the one that hurt Harry the most, even more than Sirius, the fall of Hermione Granger, and as he looked at him he felt love for the man before him that of a son for a father.  
"Ah, my boy you are Harry Potter" Dumbledore smiled at him "you are the boy who lived, that is a legacy that will far outlive mine."  
"You are right Albus I am Harry Potter and of all my accolades the one I cherish the most is that of my quidditch career and for the birthday of my little girl I think there should be a quidditch match don't you?"  
Harry called into the house, which brought the four children out, informing them of the match Hermione lit up with glee, she loved to fly and she loved quidditch. Both of her parents had been on their house teams and she was going to try out for her house team even though your not meant to until your older, her father had broken that tradition.  
"Hermione and I will be captains and of course respective seekers, pick your team Hermione." She smiled and picked Oliver who was an awesome keeper, Tonks, Remus, Ron as chasers and Isabella and Ishmael as her two beaters. On Harry's team were Fred and George as beaters, Persephone, Alastair and Arthur Weasley as chasers and Neville as the goalkeeper. It was agreed that Dumbledore would referee.  
Hermione kicked off from the ground and started to circle the garden for the snitch, she had been taught how to fly since she could walk and she had played quidditch with her dad and mum and the other family members since she was six. She was a natural or so her father said, she felt more at ease on a broom than on foot, up here she was in control and she knew how to use it. She had memorised all the moves since she had been little and hoping to fool her dad she dived into a wronski faint, she looked across seeing Harry had taken the bait and as soon as she saw this she leant towards the ground willing her broom to go faster and at the last second she used all her weight even standing on the broom to level out and fly off. Her dad had not been the greatest seeker England had ever had for nothing and he pulled out of the faint with ease but he smiled at her shouting his praise. As the game continued Oliver had made a few blinding saves and they were leading 60 – 40. Then she saw it just across the garden and she dived, her dad followed as she had hoped and then she pulled out rolling over her dad and back towards the snitch, she was thrilled she had just executed a perfect barrel roll to give her an advantage, her dad was quick and he was the best, he also wasn't into letting her win without her producing something amazing. She felt her hand reach out and clutch the snitch and she heard the whistle blow. As she descended Oliver came bounding up to her "that was wow, I mean you usually are but wow, did Uncle Harry teach you that? "  
She nodded grinning "we've been practising it because I complained that he was too quick and he showed me how to outwit a faster broom, never got it quite right though until then." She was exhilarated and she was breathing hard.  
Her Dad came over grinning broadly "amazing amazing just like we talked about!" he lifted her up "you are going to be the star of your house team!"  
Then Hermione said something that was unexpected of a victorious eleven year old "But you know I couldn't achieve that without my team, Oliver was amazing did you see those saves?"  
Oliver blushed under her praise and Dumbledore smiled at the unselfishness of his Goddaughter. Harry nodded "indeed you four will be the talk of your house team I hope you're in Gryfindor because we will have the best quidditch team for the last half a century. With that they walked inside the children going to bed eagerly anticipating their trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow. 


End file.
